Man, I feel like a woman
by vespertine dreams
Summary: After a trip through an anomaly goes wrong, Connor returns feeling like a whole new person. Slash- Danny/Connor then het- Danny/Connie. Gender-switch. Higher rating for chapter 2. Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

Man, I feel like a woman

When the anomaly shimmered back into existence, Abby and Sarah heaved a sigh of relief. They had been waiting for two days, fielding increasingly-annoying calls from Lester as he called for updates every hour since the anomaly had vanished with the team trapped on the other side.

Moments after it opened, Abby saw the first of their missing team begin to come through.

"Danny? Is everyone OK?"

Danny, followed by Dev and Neil, stepped out of the glittering anomaly and into the grubby car park. Abby looked around him to the soldiers before turning her worried gaze back to Danny. There was no sign of her best friend.

"Where's Connor? Has something happened to him?"

The soldiers shared an uneasy glance.

"There's a bit of a problem," Danny said. "Promise that you won't laugh- he's not taking it too well."

Sarah pinched him on the arm, making him swear loudly. "For goodness' sake, just tell us!"

Danny glared, rubbing his arm, and walked back to the anomaly, going back through. He returned a moment later, someone following him.

"What the hell? Who's that?"

The dark haired woman, currently hiding behind Danny, waved self-consciously.

"Hey, Abbs."

Abby saw her own shock reflected in Sarah's expression, her colleague staring at the woman, open mouthed. It was definitely Connor, she could see now; his eyes were still the same. The rest, however, couldn't be further from the man who had left two days ago.

He, no _she_, Abby mentally corrected herself, still stood at Connor's height, with his short dark hair and pale skin, but his face was, well, pretty. With a bit of make-up he could be a model on the front of any magazine. He was still wearing the same clothing he left in, only now it hung wrong on his frame, baggy in all the wrong places and just a little too tight across his chest.

"Abbs?" Connor said in low voice, watching her nervously.

But she wasn't sure what to say. The look on his face, however, made her feel bad for staring. It might be odd for her to see, but it must be awful for him.

"Connor, I'm sorry." She went to give him a hug.

The trip back to the ARC was quiet, Connor still sitting huddled up to Danny, not meeting anyone's gaze. Abby was dying to ask all kinds of questions but she could see that he wasn't ready for that. She would get her chance when they got back to the ARC and had to explain this to Lester.

----------

Lester sat behind his desk, leaned back in his chair, his fingers laced across his stomach. Danny had told them what had happened, or at least what little they knew. They had gone through the anomaly as planned, going to explore the area whilst cataloguing the plant-life. There appeared to be no large animals there at all; their initial checks had revealed no predators.

As the anomaly had closed abruptly and unexpectedly, and so they had decided to take the time to explore the area, leaving a Neil and Connor waiting by the anomaly site to alert them when it reopened. Connor had wandered off on his own to examine some caves they had noticed, after Danny and Dev had gone to check the woodlands up at the top of the cliffs that the caves were in.

"When we got back to the rendezvous point, he hadn't returned," Danny told Lester. "We went into the caves to search; it should have been perfectly safe. There was nothing there that could have presented a threat. Connor was unconscious but we managed to wake him and he seemed fine."

Lester raised a brow. "Fine?" he asked in disbelief.

"Well, he _was_," he said. "The next morning, however…" He indicated to Connor. Waking up to a woman curled up next to him was weird, shocking, completely confusing; he didn't mention that to Lester though.

Lester shifted his gaze from Connor, leaning against the wall next to Danny.

"What light can you shed on this?" he asked. "What happened?"

Connor shrugged his shoulders. "I can't remember. I was looking around and then… Then the next thing I remember, I'm out of the caves and we're at the camp. My head hurt and I was really tired."

"So you went back to sleep and…"

"The next morning, he was like this," Danny finished. He turned to Connor. "Look, we'll go back; we can find out how this happened and fix it, OK?"

Lester shook his head. "No, you won't. I cannot allow anyone else go back there until we know what we're dealing with."

Fending off Danny's arguments, he dismissed them all, sending Connor to the infirmary so that tests could be run on him before he went home.

----------

Three hours later, Connor got into Danny's car, glad to finally be getting away from the stares and whispers at the ARC.

"How long am I going to be stuck like this?"

Danny pulled into the driveway to his house and stopped the car, urging Connor inside. "I don't know. It's not that bad. It could have been worse; at least you weren't hurt or anything."

Connor just stared at him in disbelief. "Danny, I'm a bloody woman! I mean, what the hell am I meant to do? I can't let anyone who knows me see me like this- Oh God! What about my mum and dad; what am I meant to tell them? Sorry mum, but you know how you always wanted a girl as well? Now you've got one! Yeah, that'll work," he said sarcastically. "My driving license, my passport, _everything_ says that I'm me, a bloke. I suppose I could tell them that I had a sex-change but I don't want to, damn it. I want to be me again."

He fidgeted with his clothes as he ranted before stopping, looking down. He sighed miserably. "None of my clothes fit."

"We can get you different clothes," Danny assured him. "You're not on your own, Connor; we can deal with this together."

"Danny, I hate to break this to you, but you're gay. I'm not a man any more; how long will it be before you find someone else?" Connor allowed Danny to pull him into his arms this time. "Can you honestly say that you still want me like this?"

Danny took Connor's shoulders and held him at arms length so that he could look into the deep brown eyes.

"You're still the same person I fell in love with, even if the packaging is a little different. We can still be together; hey, straight people manage it all the time," he said, earning a laugh from Connor.

"Besides, it's only temporary. We're going to get you changed back."

Later that afternoon, Sarah took him shopping. She seemed to be enjoying herself, Connor thought, following behind with Danny as she pulled items from racks for him to try on. Occasionally, she paused to hold something up against him before scurrying off again.

"Danny, you'll have to wait out here," she said, taking Connor by the arm and dragging him into a changing room.

"You're having fun with this," Connor said accusingly. Still, it was better than shopping with Abby. He knew first hand what a nightmare she was with this kind of thing from his one and only foray into the clothes stores with her and so he figured that Sarah was a safer bet.

Sarah just grinned at him. "Maybe a bit. I never had a sister to do all this kind of stuff with, but that's kind of how I think of you. Well, like a brother before this- Oh, you know what I mean. Right, try these first," she told him, passing him a pile of lingerie. He took it from her hands and stared at it. Sarah sighed. "For goodness' sake, get undressed and I'll come in and help you."

Connor smiled self consciously. "I can't help it; I've never had to put womens clothing on before. Some of this," he held up one of the hangars, "looks kind of complicated."

There was a laugh, quickly smothered as Sarah turned it into a cough. "It's a bra, Connor. Surely you've at least had to remove one before? It's just the opposite."

Connor's cheeks turned redder still. "It's not exactly Danny's style," he muttered.

"I should hope not!" Sarah chuckled. "What I meant was, you must have had girlfriends…"

"By the time I got to, you know, _underwear_, I'd figured out that it wasn't girls I was interested in."

Outside, Danny sat slouched in a chair, waiting for them along with any number of other men waiting for wives and girlfriends. He could think of a million things he'd rather be doing right now- fighting carnivorous dinosaurs unarmed and single handed, sitting through one of Lester's health and safety lectures- but Connor had looked at him so pleadingly, he'd agreed to come along. The kid was freaked out enough at this point and so, if it made him feel better having Danny to hold his hand, then so be it. No, _her_ hand. He sighed. This was going to take some getting used to. He looked up as Connor and Sarah emerged about a half hour later with an armful of garments.

"Right, next we need shoes."

Connor sighed. "Why? I've _got_ shoes. I like my shoes and they still fit. I don't need different ones, just like I don't need all this stuff."

"Connor, we're using the company credit card so we might as well get everything," Sarah pointed out, grinning. "Besides, you're going to get changed back, and those Calvin Klein jeans are just my size!"

----------

Danny was just filling three plates with spaghetti Bolognese and setting them on his kitchen table when he heard footsteps approaching. He had offered to make dinner for Sarah in thanks for helping with Connor this afternoon.

"May I present, the new Connor Temple!"

Danny smiled as his lover entered the room. He still looked a little uneasy, but a hell of a lot calmer than he had been earlier. Sarah had kept Connor in his comfort zone, only now the dark blue jeans actually fit his female shape, the t-shirt tight fitting and v-necked and showing a little of his newly-gained cleavage, and Danny could see that she'd even managed to get him into the underwear they'd been arguing about in the car on the way home. Connor had referred to it as medieval torture devices, prettied up with lace.

"Danny? Say something, please."

Danny strode across the kitchen and gathered Connor into his arms, trying to ignore the fact that this didn't feel like Connor.

"Damn." He pulled back just far enough to meet Connor's eyes. "You look great."

"See, I told you," Sarah said before turning to Danny. "He doesn't believe me when I tell him that he's pretty."

Despite everything, Danny could see that Connor was secretly pleased with the compliment.

"I am so proud of the way you're handling this," he told Connor, hooking his index finger under Connor's chin and angling his face up for a kiss.

OK, he thought; this was odd. It wasn't as though he'd never kissed women before- he had- he just preferred men. He knew that it was still Connor but it felt different, softer and more, well, feminine. What made it odd was that it didn't put him off. He had expected it to be awkward but kissing woman-Connor felt just as natural as kissing male-Connor.

He was just thinking about that when Sarah voiced the same thought.

"What are we meant to call you?" she asked as she sat down at the table. "I mean, it's going to look a bit odd if anyone hears us calling you Connor, isn't it?"

Connor's eyes widened in alarm and he looked to Danny. "I don't want to have to change my name."

"How about we just call you Connie?" Sarah asked. "It's not too far from Connor and it will save a lot of annoying questions."

----------

That night as he- _she_- climbed into bed, Connor thought about what Sarah had said.

"She doesn't think I'm going to get changed back, does she?"

Danny knew he could lie at this point, could make Connor feel better, but it wouldn't be right.

"We don't know," he admitted. "Lester called earlier. They finished running the blood samples they took from you back at the ARC, as well as running every test they could think of and they found nothing. No viruses, no diseases, no abnormalities in the samples- nothing. At this point, they can't figure out why your genes mutated and so they can't find a way to fix it." He pulled Connor closer, against his chest, and pressed a kiss to the side of his neck. "I'm sorry, love. They'll keep trying, but it's not looking too good."

There was a long silence and then, "I kind of like Connie. I guess, if I have to, I can live with that."

------

End.


	2. Chapter 2

Man, I feel like a woman – ch2

It had been two weeks since Connor had vanished and Connie Temple had taken his place in the world. Lester had somehow managed to organise for valid ID cards and the transfer of Connor's bank accounts over to Connie. Connie had no idea how he'd done it or how many favours he'd had to call in, but she was grateful to have some semblance of normality restored.

What Lester couldn't handle was the human element. Connie's parents had called at least six times, asking to speak to their son, yet Connie had no idea of what to tell them. It was hard enough for her colleagues at the ARC to understand and they dealt with the weird and wonderful every day. Her parents weren't going to even begin to comprehend this. So far, Danny had been intercepting all of their calls with various excuses as to why Connor couldn't come to the phone but that wasn't going to last forever. They were getting suspicious that something was wrong and eventually, they were going to decide to come and visit when they couldn't speak to him.

Which brought her to the next problem: Danny.

Connie sat in the staff room with Abby and Sarah, a mug of tea on the table in front of her. Since nothing was happening with the anomalies at present, they were taking the opportunity to have a break. The two of them had taken her under their wing during the past few weeks, helping her out with everything from clothes to more personal girl-stuff.

Sarah took a drink of her tea and asked conversationally, "So how is it going with Danny?"

"What's he done wrong?" Abby demanded, seeing Connie's face drop when his name was mentioned.

Connie shook her head. "Nothing, honestly. He's been brilliant about this, really he has," she insisted.

"But…?" Sarah asked. "I can hear it in your voice. Look, you know you can talk to us; whatever you say will never go further than the three of us, OK?"

Abby nodded in agreement. "Of course."

"I feel weird talking to you to you about this," Connie told them, but she had to talk to someone. She couldn't talk to any of her male friends any more- she'd had to cut ties with anyone from outside the ARC since there was no way to explain.

"It's just that since this happened, Danny hasn't… I mean, we haven't…" Connie broke off, avoiding looking at the two women.

"Oh, Conn," Abby leaned over and gave her a sympathetic hug. "It's a lot for him to deal with too," she said. "He's suddenly got a girlfriend; give him time."

Connie sighed miserably. "I told him this would happen. I knew he wouldn't want me like this."

Sarah patted her hand reassuringly. "You're wrong, honey. He still loves you; I've seen the way he looks at you."

"Well maybe it's time you showed him what he's missing out on," Abby suggested, a wide grin on her face.

She and Sarah had spent Saturday at Abby's flat, telling Danny that they'd meet him at the bar tonight. It was their regular get-together; every Saturday, the team and the soldiers went out for a few drinks. When she got to the pub that evening, however, she was beginning to regret letting Abby talk her into this.

Connie tugged self consciously at the tiny skirt that Abby had convinced her to wear, blushing as she caught one or two of the soldiers staring. She caught sight of her reflection in one of the glass panes of the door as she entered the pub and paused. It did work, she thought, but it was so different from what she usually wore; Abby had chosen a form fitting shirt that clung to every curve, with short sleeves and a low enough neck that Connie wouldn't be bending down in front of anyone. Not that the skirt would let her do that anyway. It was again chosen by Abby, a black and red checked miniskirt that was just long enough to be decent, rounded off with heeled, black, knee-high boots, laced up the front. The women had taught her how to walk properly in the heels, how not to flash people when she sat down in the skirt (since all she'd worn had been jeans so far).

"Hi there," a male voice said from behind her. "Are you here all on your own?"

Connie turned to see Luke, one of Becker's soldiers smiling at her. Of course, the man had been on leave for the past two weeks; he wouldn't recognise her.

"No, I'm meeting someone."

She walked past him but Luke was persistent, and with a couple of strides he caught her up. "Will you come and have a drink with me?" he continued, oblivious to the fact that she was ignoring him. "I'm Luke, by the way. And you are?"

"Not interested," Connie replied, again beginning to walk away.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Connie glanced up to see Danny storming across the from bar. Luke took one look at the furious expression on Danny's face and took a step back, just as Becker hurried over and positioned himself in between the two men.

"What's going on?" he demanded, glaring at each of them in turn.

Luke looked offended. "I don't know what Quinn's problem is! I was just talking-"

"He was hitting on Conn," Danny snapped, causing Luke's frown to deepen.

Becker sighed; now it made sense. "Luke, go. Now," he said. "I'll explain in a minute. You OK?" he asked Connie.

She nodded, feeling a little embarrassed at the attention they were drawing from the other customers. Becker shooed Luke away, talking in a low voice as they went, Luke eventually glancing back over his shoulder, looking startled.

"God, I hate this," she muttered. "I am so sick of all the staring."

Danny took her hand and led them to a quiet corner of the pub and turning to face Connie.

"I'm sorry," he began. "I've been a bit off with you recently. It's just that-"

"Abby and Sarah said I should give you some time," Connie interrupted, perching on the edge of the table behind her. "They said it was a lot for you to deal with as well and that's why you were avoiding me."

Danny frowned. "You've been talking to Abby and Sarah about me? No, never mind," he said, brushing it aside with a wave of his hand. "When I saw you with that idiot, I realised what a complete prat I was being."

Danny leaned his hands on the table on either side of Connie and leaned in close enough to press a light kiss to her lips.

"Connor or Connie, you're mine, got it?"

Connie couldn't have held back the huge grin if she'd wanted to. "Got it," she said, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him.

"Actually, I've got a bit of a confession to make," he said, glancing around to make sure that no one was listening. They weren't; Connie and Danny were the only two people in this end of the bar room. "You have to understand that I was fifteen when I started noticing blokes; my mates were chasing the girls and I noticed them too, but I was more interested in the boys."

"I don't get it."

"What I'm trying to say is that, one of the reasons I've been keeping my distance is that my experience pretty much ends with blokes. I might have looked, and even fooled around with the lasses a bit, but that's about it. I never meant to make you think I was avoiding you."

Connie grinned. "You mean to tell me that tough-guy super-stud Danny Quinn is a heterosexual virgin?"

Danny's cheeks reddened. "It's not funny," he mumbled.

"It is a bit," Connor said, kissing him. "Besides, do you think I have any clue what I'm doing?" She blushed slightly and Danny heard her mutter, "At least you've still got the right bits!"

Danny laughed as he leaned in to kiss Connie properly. After a moment, Danny stepped back and held out a hand to her.

"Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

They got ordered and took their drinks back to the table where their friends and colleagues sat, laughing at something Becker had said. Before they sat down, Luke approached them hesitantly.

"Connor? I- oh God, I'm sorry. _Connie._"

Connie smiled. "Don't worry about it."

Luke nodded gratefully. "I wanted to apologise for earlier," he said. "I was out of line."

A glance at Danny told Connie that he wasn't prepared to forgive and forget just yet, but she was.

"It's OK; you didn't know," she said. "Actually, I was kind of flattered."

"What?!"

She gave Danny's hand a squeeze before he could move. "Down, boy."

"All the same, I'm sorry." Luke offered a hand and she shook it, then offered the same to Danny. "No offence meant, mate."

By the time they arrived back home at Danny's flat, Connie was beginning to realise that along with her new body, she also had a new alcohol tolerance. Unfortunately, it wasn't an improvement on the old one; she had only drunk a couple of pints- which wouldn't have made a difference before- and she was definitely tipsy. Danny let them in and locked the door behind them, turning just in time to catch an armful of Connie as she launched herself at him and kissed him enthusiastically.

"Take me to bed," she said, batting her eyelashes at him.

How could he possibly refuse? Danny thought, looping his arms around her waist and kissing her back, hands sliding lower until they reached the bottom of the little skirt. When his fingers came into contact with bare flesh and not a lot else, he smiled.

"Have you actually got anything under that, Conn?"

Connie nodded her head, grinning. "Yes, but I'm not telling you what. There are some things a man should find out for himself," she teased, and took off in the direction of the bedroom.

Danny was pounced on again when he walked through the bedroom door as Connie began tugging his shirt off in between kisses. In the end, he took a step away and took it off himself.

"Who said you could stop?" Connie demanded, glancing pointedly at his jeans and then grinning happily as he continued to strip.

He stretched out the bed, propped against the pillows. "So, you going to show me?"

It took Connie a moment to get her brain to start working long enough to nod, eyes still roaming over Danny. She stripped until she stood before him in just a lacy black bra and tiny thong and her boots. Then she tossed the lingerie aside.

When Danny raised an eyebrow at that, she shot him a mischievous smile. "I like the boots."

"Well, well, my little Connie has a kinky side." Danny crooked his finger in a 'come here' motion and she strutted over to climb onto the bed and crawl up his body slowly. He pulled her down to him and rolled her beneath him. "Did I tell you how damned sexy you looked tonight?"

When she shook her head, Danny smiled. "How about I show you instead?"

Connie whimpered as Danny teased her, his mouth finding her nipples, hands roaming lower. She arched off the bed as Danny's hand worked its way between her legs, slipping one finger inside her.

"Oh God. _Danny_!"

Danny raised his head to look at her. "Like that, do you?"

"Bloody hell. Danny, please. Fuck me."

A tiny common-sense part of Danny's brain kicked in then and he grabbed the condom packet from where he'd left it earlier, slipping it on with unsteady hands. He wasn't sure if she could get pregnant but he didn't think they could cope with another shock at the moment. He eased into her, feeling the warmth of her body take him in. Damn, she felt so good. The cool leather of her boots pressed against his skin as Connie wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in closer as he moved. It wasn't long before Connie was crying out below him, her body clenching around his cock and bringing forth his own climax.

"Mine," he whispered as he lay with her a short time later, arms around her, pulling her flush against his chest and dragging the covers over them. He pressed a kiss to the side of her throat. "Love you, Connie."

Connie cuddled further into his arms. "Yours," she said. "Love you too."

---------


	3. Chapter 3

Man, I feel like a woman- ch 3

When the telephone rang, Connie checked the display and then turned to Danny with pleading eyes.

"Will you answer it for me?" she begged.

Danny knew who it was without looking. So far, Connie's parents had called nearly every day for the past three weeks, and every few days before that, wanting to speak to their son. He had been putting them off with whatever excuse he could think of but they were getting suspicious that something was wrong, something he wasn't telling them.

"Connie, love, you have to talk to them sometime…" It had been six weeks since the incident, as everyone now referred to it, and she'd been avoiding them since then.

At the insistent shaking of her head, he sighed and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Mrs Temple."

"_Ah. You again. Can I speak to Connor, please?"_

"I'm sorry, Mrs Temple, but he's unavailable at the moment. I'm not sure how long he'll be-"

"_And I suppose that if I ask you to tell him to call me, he won't, just like every other time."_

"I'm sorry, Mrs Te-"

"_Don't bother with excuses again, Mr Quinn._" So, he was back to being 'Mr Quinn', he thought. Before all this, they'd been calling him Danny._ "Now I know he's there and I want to speak to him _right now_!"_

Danny glared at Connie, still keeping out of reach in case he tried to hand her the phone.

"I can't right now, Mrs Temple, he's busy."

"_Busy. Right. Do you think I was born yesterday, Mr Quinn? This is your doing, isn't it? You're keeping him from calling me? If I find out you've done anything to my boy-"_

"That's it. I haven't hurt him, nor would I ever even think of doing such a thing! Now, I'm not going to stand here and be accused of that crap. Goodbye."

Danny hung up the phone to her protests and gave himself a mental rebuke for getting angry with her. It wasn't her fault that Connor _couldn't_ call her back, or that Connie refused to, but he knew he hadn't helped at all by yelling at her.

"How about sending your mum a letter?" he suggested desperately to Connie. "If you're worried that she won't think it's you by your voice, write to her. She thinks I'm holding you prisoner here or something."

Connie's eyes widened in alarm. "She what?"

"She practically accused me of not letting you have contact with her because I'm abusing you," he said. "You can't ignore her much longer."

"I am so sorry to have dragged you into this," she said, pulling him down beside her on the sofa and giving him a kiss. "Maybe I could email her? I'll do it tomorrow."

The next morning, they were disturbed by a loud knocking on the front door. Connie grumbled to herself and stuck her head under the pillow, knowing that Danny was already downstairs and would answer it. Then she froze; what if it was her mum and dad? Oh, this would not look good- their son's boyfriend shacked up with a woman… She scrambled out of bed and quickly threw a t-shirt on before creeping out until she could see what was going on. She saw Danny open the door.

Danny frowned as he saw the policemen standing on his doorstep.

"Daniel Quinn?"

"Yes?"

"May we come in for a moment…" The conversation moved to the lounge and Connie couldn't hear any more so she edged out into the hall, keeping out of sight.

Danny sat in his lounge after offering the two police officers coffee- which they refused- and wondered what the hell he was meant to do now. They were here, one told him, following up on a report given by Mrs Temple, that her son might be in danger and that she suspected Danny's involvement. Especially after his angry outburst on the phone, she'd said. How was he meant to answer that? He could ask Connie to come and say hi, to prove that no one had been hurt, but they were looking for Connor, not Connie. No way were they going to believe any explanation of that one- even a sex change would have official doctors records to prove it, of which they had none.

"Look, there's no problem," he assured them. "Connor's just been forgetting to call her back, that's all. He's not missing." Not exactly, he thought.

The officer didn't look convinced. "Then ask him to come and speak with us and we can let Mrs Temple know he's fine."

Danny knew he must look guilty as hell at this point; he'd been a copper, he knew how these things went. He couldn't prove he hadn't done what Connie's mum had told them he had.

"I can't. He's not here."

"Then where can we find him?"

Danny had only one possibility. "Work. I can't provide you with details; we both work for a branch of the Home Office under the official secrets act."

That earned him a look that he'd given to enough people over the years, the one that said 'You really expect me to believe that?' only this time it was the truth.

"Look, let me call my boss- he can vouch for me," Danny suggested, adding, "I can't give you the number- I'll call him," when they asked.

Reluctantly, they agreed, allowing Danny to get the phone from the kitchen- under escort, though what they thought he'd do he had no idea- and dial.

"Lester? It's Danny," he began before either of the officers had the chance t take the phone from him. He just hoped that Lester took the hint as he said, "Is Connor there yet? Only I've got two policemen here wanting to speak to him- his mum thinks he's gone missing."

One of the officers reached over and took the handset before he could say any more.

"This is PC Bradley. Whom am I speaking with?" He listened for a moment. "Mr Lester- sorry, _Sir_ James- we have had a report that Mr Connor Temple may be missing or in some kind of trouble. I understand he works for you? May we speak with him?- no, I really do need to speak to him- I see, yes, of course- very well. Thank you for your time, Sir James-"

PC Bradley stopped abruptly, holding the phone back out to Danny, frowning. "He hung up on me."

Danny gave him a sympathetic smile. "It's nothing personal; he does that to everyone."

The two officers stood and put their hats back on.

"Well, it seems that Mrs Temple's concerns were unfounded; we'll let her know that Sir James has vouched for his wellbeing." The followed Danny to the door and he let them out. "Sorry to have bothered you, Mr Quinn, and if you could get him to contact her…"

The moment the door closed behind them, Danny heaved a sigh of relief. He looked up to see Connie watching him, chewing nervously at her fingernail.

"I am so sorry. I can't believe my mum did that." She took another hesitant step closer. "Are you mad with me?"

Before Danny could answer, the phone rang and he picked it up, steeling himself for another showdown with Connie's mum. It wasn't Mrs Temple; no, this was worse.

"That was Lester," he told Connie moments later. "He wants you in his office as soon as possible, and I got the feeling that the invite extended to me, too."

Ten minutes later, Connie and Danny stood before Lester's desk as the man in question fumed.

"…and I do not expect to be receiving calls from the sodding police and then having to lie to them. I will not have the security of this project put at risk by having the police nosing about, just because you haven't called your bloody mother! Now, I know that you're afraid of seeing them but if you don't sort it out, I will. _Understand_?"

Danny nodded and glanced at Connie. He could see the sheer terror in her face, her eyes glistening.

"I can't," she said, her voice shaking. "What am I meant to tell them?"

Lester sighed as a tear rolled down Connie's cheek and felt his anger dissipate. Tears had always been his undoing; as annoyed as he was, he couldn't stand to see her cry.

"Bring them here," he said softly, going around the desk to offer her a tissue. "Let them see what we do and maybe it will be easier to explain."

Connie sniffled and wiped her eyes, giving him a smile. "Really?"

"I'll clear it with security," he said, "and if you would like me to have a word with them…"

"Thank you!" Connie gave him a hug before looking embarrassed and hurrying back to Danny's side.

Lester gave them both a stern look. "Call them today," he said. "I mean it; do not put this off any longer."

Seeing that Connie was still hesitant, Danny nodded. "Is tomorrow OK for a visit?" he asked, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

Lester agreed and they went to Danny's office to make the call.

Captain Becker met the Temples at the door the following morning. Lester had asked that they be brought to the offices, where he and Danny intended to keep Connie until they arrived. Both men had a sneaking suspicion that if left to her own devices, Connie would be nothing more than a dust trail by the time her parents got here.

He showed the Temples into the office, promising that all of their questions would be answered, seeing their surprised faces as they took in their surroundings, gawking like tourists.

"Lester? Mr and Mrs Temple are here." He showed them through the door and closed it behind them, heading back down to the staff-room.

Lester asked them to sit, introducing himself.

"I understand that you have some concerns about Connor," he began. "I can assure you, however, that you have no need to worry. Connor works as a member of the research team here and about six weeks ago, there was- not an accident as such, an _incident_-"

"What do you mean by 'incident'?" Mr Temple demanded.

Lester signalled to someone outside and the Temples looked around as Danny entered the room, followed by a dark-haired woman. Danny nodded in uneasy greeting to them.

"I don't understand…"

Lester held up a hand to stop Mr Temple. "The incident I spoke of had a rather unheard of effect on Connor," he told them. He glanced over an nodded in encouragement to Connie.

Connie gripped Danny's hand tightly and took a step forward.

"Hi mum. Dad. I-It's me. Connie- I mean, Connor." He glanced up at Danny with panicked eyes when they didn't respond, just stared at him in disbelief.

"It really is me, mum. See, there was this cave when we went through the anomaly and then something happened and I changed." He paused. "And you have no idea what an anomaly is so that won't make sense. Listen, mum, do you remember when I was eight, and I got my head stuck in the railings at the park? Dad tried to get me out but he couldn't and you had to call the firemen. Or that time when grandma gave me that horrible pink jumper for Christmas? You made me wear it every time she came to visit all year, even though I hated it."

There was total silence and Connie shrank back against Danny's side again. It just about killed him to see her like this again; she'd come so far in the past six weeks, getting her confidence back, and now it was like they were back to square one.

"Connie, do you think you could nip out and ask Lorraine to bring us some coffees?" Lester asked, picking up the hint that Danny shot his way.

As soon as she was out, Danny turned angrily to the Temples.

"Look, I get that this is a shock, but think how it's been for Connie," he said in a low voice, glaring between them. "She's finally managed to get things back to normal and I'm bloody proud of her for doing it. If you think I'm going to let you upset her, think again. Now when she gets back in here, try having a bit of compassion."

Connie's dad got to his feet. "How _dare_ you speak to us like that?" he began, but his wife reached out to touch his arm, making him stop.

"He's right," she said softly. "I still don't understand how, but that _is_ Connor."

"Connie," Lester corrected. "She's Connie now."

She nodded. "This may be confusing for us, but I cannot imagine how it has been for Conno- Connie." She glanced up at Danny, seeing the defensive stance, arms folded across his chest, anger clear on his face. "He's right," she repeated.

When Connie came back in, followed by Lester's assistant carrying a tray of coffee and biscuits, her mum approached her hesitantly.

"I'm sorry, love. I just- Oh, come here!" She drew Connie into her arms.

Danny had to admit that bringing Connie's parents here had been a good idea. By the time they stood in front of Manny's enclosure, the fact that their son was now their daughter was almost forgotten, overwhelmed by a hundred other strange and exciting things.

"What is that?" Connie's mum asked, staring up at the huge creature. "It looks like…"

"A mammoth? That's because it is," Connie told them, going closer despite her parents' objections and warnings, and putting a hand through the bars to call the mammoth over. Manny's trunk came through the bars and snuffled at her head, ruffling her hair. "He's named after the one in Ice Age. It's OK; he's friendly."

"It really was a mammoth," Connie's dad mused as they walked back up to the detector room. "This place is amazing. I had no idea what you did."

At that moment, the alarms began wailing and there was a flurry of activity. Connie's mum looked alarmed as Becker and his soldiers ran past in full combat gear, rifles slung over their shoulders. Danny checked the detector.

"Playing fields on the edge of town," he said. He looked to Connie's parents. "Do you want to see what this is really about?"

They arrived minutes after the anomaly team, Danny parking the car at a safe distance just in case anything decided to come rampaging through the anomaly, and got out. He found his kit in the back and took out a pistol, handing one to Connie as well. The team were there, as were the soldiers, but he didn't want to take any chances.

"That is an anomaly," Connie told her parents, pointing to the glittering object hanging in the air in the centre of the field. "It's a gateway between different times, different worlds. We, at the ARC, investigate them and find whatever came through and send it back. That's where the animals at the ARC came from; their anomalies closed before we had the chance to put them back where they belonged."

Danny saw the old Connie in that moment, getting so excited as she explained all about the anomalies and the detector she'd built. He slipped his arm around Connie's waist as she talked, smiling. He noticed Mrs Temple watching him.

"All of those times you made excuses, telling me that Connor was out or unavailable," she said to Danny as soon as Connie stopped talking, "You were just looking out for her, weren't you?"

He nodded.

"I didn't know how to tell you," Connie chipped in. "So I asked him to stall you until I'd worked it out."

"You could have just told me," Mrs Temple continued to Danny. "Yet you didn't, even when I contacted the police?" At his nod, she smiled. "I owe you an apology, Mr Quinn."

"How about we go back to calling me Danny and forget about the rest?" he suggested.

"Thank you."

They took Connie's parents for dinner at a local restaurant, her dad quite happy chatting to Danny, leaving Connie time to talk to her mum alone.

"What's the matter?" Connie asked. Her mum had been looking as though she wanted to say something all evening but had been holding back.

"It's nothing," she said, then a moment later in the disapproving tone of mothers everywhere assessing their daughters, "Don't you think that skirt is a bit too short?"

Connie couldn't help it; she started laughing.

End of ch 3.


	4. Chapter 4

Final chapter.

Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, the character of Luke is an o/c who I use quite often. There is a two part fic called 'Bad Boys' over on my livejournal which was never posted over here due to content. It runs alongside chapter 2 of Man, I feel like a Woman. There is also a character listing for him (link in my profile page). It's not necessary to read these but it's there if you're curious.

* * *

Man, I feel like a woman – chapter 4

"Oh, this is so exciting! I never thought I'd have the chance to do this, getting your dress- Oh, look at this! What about something like this one? You'd look lovely- Or this."

Connie looked desperately at Abby, over her mother's head. Abby and Sarah, damn them, were enjoying every minute of this. Not the wedding planning- neither of them were the girly, wedding planning type- but they did enjoy seeing Connie squirm. They sat with identical grins on their faces as Connie's mum showed them another picture in _Brides_ Magazine. There were times she wished that she'd never told her mum about Danny's proposal. Casting a longing look at the TV, Connie sighed; she was missing Star Trek.

Danny had proposed two months ago, a year to the day that Connor had gone to sleep in that strange world beyond the anomaly and Connie had woken in his place. She was settled now, happy even, and she and Danny had worked out the newly arisen problems from her sudden sex-change. Though odd to begin with, it was still just the two of them; she was still the same person, merely in different packaging.

They had been working hard lately, the anomalies seemingly increasing in frequency and causing enough problems to leave a permanent scowl on Lester's face. Then as suddenly as it began, the anomaly rate dropped again. For the last two months it had been relatively quiet and so Lester had agreed to the team's request of a little time off.

Becker and the lads had decided that Danny needed a stag night and the women had already arranged to take Connie on a hen night. Lester had given them the weekend, leaving the other staff and second security team at the ARC. He had declined an invitation to join them on the grounds that someone had to stay behind and keep the staff under control.

Connie found herself being dragged from bar to bar in the city, dressed in red feather angel wings and a halo, the other women all in similar, with a satin sash around her that read Buy Me A Drink- I'm Getting Married. So far, it had worked rather well. Each bar they went into, they managed to attract the attention of a group of blokes who bought them all drinks until they moved on. On second thought, Connie thought it might have less to do with the sash and more to do with the fact she was with four skimpily-dressed, semi-drunk women who were flirting outrageously with any male they spotted.

Just before they'd left the house, heading out for the evening, Abby had taken Becker to one side for 'a quiet word'. Becker returned looking slightly worried but when asked, Abby just grinned. It took them a few drinks to get her to tell them what it had been about.

"I just told him that, if we find Danny naked and tied to a lamp post tomorrow morning, I'd castrate the lot of them with a butter knife, starting with him," she said with a pleasant smile.

At somewhere around two the next morning, they made it back to the hotel. She passed out the instant her head landed on the pillow.

xxxxxxxxxx

Becker managed to keep the lads from doing anything to Danny, though he had to admit that some of their suggestions might be worth facing Abby's wrath. He even managed to get them all back to the hotel where they were staying in the city sometime before dawn. He was getting too old for all-nighters, he thought as he made his way next door to his room and crawled into bed. Luke was already snoring softly, hogging the covers and taking up most of the bed, but with a little persuasion he moved far enough to let Becker in and then shift closer again to curl around him. As good as that felt, Becker couldn't keep himself awake long enough to enjoy it.

xxxxxxxxxx

Danny awoke to a blinding headache and a huge gap in his memory. He could remember the pubs, all of them, and then the club with the male strippers, and then… well, it all got a bit fuzzy after that. The lack of memory wasn't the problem, though. That wasn't what was creating the sheer panic currently running through him, though.

He wasn't alone in bed. It was pitch black in the room, the only light a faint glow from the tiny crack in the curtains, not enough to see in. He needed to put the light on but that would mean moving, which would wake his bed-partner, and that would be awkward. Very awkward since there was only one person he was supposed to wake up with and this definitely wasn't her.

This was a bloke. No mistaking it.

_Oh fuck; what had he done? Poor Connie. She was going to kill him, and Abby and Sarah would help. Come to think of it, most of the ARC staff would probably help hold him down whilst they did it._

Danny bolted out of bed and felt around for his jeans, tugging them on as he raced out of the room.

"Becker?" Danny hammered on the door. "Luke?" _Oh please, wake up!_

He heard the door being unlocked and then there was a bleary-eyed, half-asleep soldier staring back at him. Luke turned around without waiting for Danny to come in, leaving the door open, and stumbled back to bed. As he hauled the covers back over himself, Becker squinted up at Danny.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" he grumbled. "'Only went to bed a couple of hours ago."

Danny ignored him.

"What did I do last night?"

Becker blinked at him. "You woke me up to ask me that?"

"Just tell me!"

Luke, seeing that answering the question might let him get back to sleep, sat up again.

"We went to a few bars, the strip club, and then we brought you back here, rat-arsed. Now will you bugger off?"

Danny went to the chair near the bed, sinking down into it as he scrubbed his hands over his face.

"I fucked up," he told them. "Major fuck up. Bloody hell, my head hurts," he muttered as he moved too quickly. Then he frowned, his face paling. "I'm think I'm going to be sick."

xxxxxxxxxx

Half an hour later, Becker's mobile rang. It seemed that this morning, he was never going to get any peace and quiet.

"_Becker, it's Abby. Have you seen Danny anywhere? He's not in his room."_

Becker glanced across the room as he informed her, "He's here, currently puking for England in our bathroom. Why, what's wrong?"

"_We've got a problem,_" she told him. There was a pause. "_Kind of._"

Something in her tone worried him. "This isn't a 'the wedding's off' kind of a problem, is it?" Becker asked.

Danny re-emerged from the bathroom, his eyes wide with concern. "What do you mean, it's off?" he demanded. "Oh fuck, she knows. That's it. What am I going to do?"

He looked as though he was about to pass out or throw up again and so Luke steered him to a chair and handed him a waste paper bin in case it was the second option. A few seconds later, he brought Danny a glass of water and some aspirin.

Becker ignored them, still listening to Abby. He glanced at Danny and told her,

"We'll clean him up and meet you in five."

xxxxxxxxxx

By the time they reached Abby's room the others were already there. Danny still looked worse for wear but then so did everyone else, what with the lack of sleep and hangovers. When they entered the room, however, hangovers were forgotten.

Connor was sitting on Abby's bed.

He still had Connie's long hair and the remnants of last night's makeup, the robe he wore covering him but it was clear that his proportions had changed.

"I don't know what happened," he was saying. "I woke up in bed and I was me again." He saw Danny enter the room and a look of relief crossed his features. "You weren't there and I didn't know where you'd gone and so I called Abby."

Silence. Connor chewed on his lip nervously.

"Danny? Say something. Please."

Danny's thoughts were still a few words back in the conversation, though.

"Hang on, you said I was gone when you woke up. I thought you were staying with Abby last night."

Connor shrugged his shoulders. "I was but then I decided I'd rather stay with you."

Danny felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from him, a sigh of relief escaping his lips.

"You? Oh thank fuck for that." Connor looked confused. In fact, everyone but Becker and Luke did, but Danny didn't care. He just pulled Connor into his arms and kissed him.

"So what now?" Sarah asked, causing Danny and Connor to part and look at her. "Is the change permanent this time?"

No one could answer that, though Connor expected Lester to order another barrage of tests when they got back to the ARC.

"You should call your mum," Abby said.

He should, he knew it, but he didn't want to. She had just got used to having a daughter and now she had a son again. It was confusing enough for those who dealt with weirdness every day.

"She was really looking forward to the wedding and stuff," he said. "I can't tell her, not just yet. Not until I know if I'm going to wake up as Connie or Connor tomorrow."

xxxxxxxxxxx

Three days later, Connor was still Connor. As predicted, Lester had made him go through every test he could think of but as before, they found nothing to explain the change. He and Danny had gone to visit his parents for Sunday lunch, to break the new to them. Connor hadn't wanted to do it over the phone.

It was a testament to how well they had adjusted to this whole situation that his mother seemed more disappointed about her wedding plans being scuppered than the fact she had a son again.

His mum's words, however, were still on Connor's mind when he and Danny got home that evening.

'_So what about your plans? You could still have a civil partnership, you know.'_

"She's right."

Danny frowned. "Who's right about what?"

"Mum. I still want to spend the rest of my life with you," Connor said, gauging Danny's reactions as he spoke. His confidence faltered a little then. "That is, if you still want to, now that I'm back to being Connor."

Danny smiled and dragged Connor into a tight hug.

"Of course I do, as though you even need to ask."

They had no idea of whether Connor would stay or whether he'd switch back again but it didn't matter. Connie or Connor, Danny loved them both.

xxxx

End.


End file.
